On a beautiful sunny October afternoon I found myself in the vicinity of the amazing, well stocked and controversial store Piecemakers.
The emporium is located at 1720 Adams Ave in Costa Mesa, CA and I have visited dozens of times over the past 20 years.
The controversy is the frequent run-ins with government officials and inspectors over candy displays, events without permits, tree swings and more.
Who are these hoodlums?
Middle age ladies that live communally and answer to God, not anyone else.
So visiting the store is a real pleasure because there are not employees, just really nice ladies who really care and are completely into what they do.
And they do ALOT!
Half a dozen classrooms and everywhere you look there are zillions of supplies, displays and ideas for a huge array of handcrafts.
My only disappointment is they discontinued millinery supplies about 10 years ago :(
But the ribbons, trims and buttons almost make up for it.
It is difficult to fully describe the variety and sheer volume of the inventory.
And since there is a small restaurant inside there are always delicious smells of fresh baked goodies and homemade soups. On the afternoon I stopped by a man was singing and playing his accordion in the dining area.
Piecemakers is such a feel good place that fires up your imagination and can feed your body and soul.
It is just an uplifting experience.
And obviously I am not alone in this sentiment since Piecemakers total operations ( other sources of income in addition to the store ) are about $3 million a year.
That 's a whole lot of happiness!
Here's how I contributed to Piecemakers profits; vintage buttons, velvets, ribbons, trim and the perfect turning 50 card for a friend.
The ladies say God tells them what to do and I for one am glad they listen.
